Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have emerged as the star players for the Indian Cricket team in the current generation. They are currently the most experienced players in the squad and are also under ICC’s top 10 ODI batting rankings. However, as Indian team captains, it is always debatable to find who has turned out to be the more successful one in all three formats?
Well, before counting India’s wins under their leadership, let's find out the total number of matches played under their captaincy. Kohli was the former captain of India and led the team in 213 matches (68 tests, 95 ODIs and 50 T20Is).On the other side, Rohit who is the current captain of India and has led the team in 93 matches (9 Tests, 33 ODIs and 51 T20Is).
Although Rohit has captained the team in less ODI matches than Kohli, his winning percentage turns out to be better. His winning percentage as a captain is 72.87 where India won 24 and lost 8 out of the 33 matches played. Whereas under Kohli’s captaincy, India won 65 and lost 27 out of the 95 ODI matches played, making his winning percentage of up to 68.42.
When it comes to Test cricket, Kohli captained the team in 68 matches and won 40 out of them. Whereas, under Rohit’s captaincy, India has won 5 times out of the 9 Tests played. Here also, Rohit's winning percentage slides upward than Kohli. While Rohit's winning percentage turns out to be 71.42, Kohli’s winning percentage is 58.82.
As far as the T20Is are concerned, here’s a little change. In totality, Rohit has captained the team more than Kohli in T20I matches. India has played 51 games and won 39 matches under Rohit’s leadership. Whereas Virat has only captained the team for 50 matches and won 30 of them. Rohit has a winning percentage of 76.47, which is more than Kohli's winning percentage of 64.58.
Considering Kohli’s and Rohit’s stats in all the three formats, Rohit’s winning percentage as a captain is higher than Kohli. However, Kohli still holds more wins than Rohit in ODIs and Tests. Whereas, Rohit has more wins than Kohli in T20I matches.
After India clinched their eighth Asia Cup title on Sunday, now their eyes are on the three match ODI series against Australia starting from 22 September 2023. However, Kohli, Rohit and Hardik Pandya will not be playing the first two ODIs against Australia. KL Rahul will lead the team in the first two matches of the series.
